In connection with shipping various types of products, such as food products, from a manufacturer to a retail establishment, it is known to initially package the products in cartons. Although various materials could be used in making the cartons, the most common material employed is paperboard. In general, the paperboard is provided in the form of a blank which can be conveniently stored in a flat configuration or side seamed configuration but easily erected through a simple folding operation to establish an open-ended carton which can be filled and sealed, typically in an automated process. Multiple cartons are then typically arranged side-by-side in a corrugated box for shipping through designated distribution channels to the retail establishment, such as a grocery store, where the cartons in each shipping box can be unloaded and arranged on a display shelf for sale to consumers.
As indicated above, a known end load carton of this type is typically formed by folding a unitary blank. It is also possible to erect a carton by interconnecting separate carton panels. However, there are numerous drawbacks associated with employing separate carton panels. Most particularly, extreme care must be taken to prevent skewing of the panels during assembly. This problem is exacerbated if carton assembly is performed at high speeds with automated machinery. Given this and other problems, this type of carton construction and assembly is generally prohibitive. Still, it would be desirable to provide paperboard or other material cartons which can be made from a plurality of separate body pieces assembled with precision, particularly utilizing automated machinery.